Version 2.0

Culture, healing, politics and bullshit - Not necessarily in that order

The general, socio-political and very personal rantings and ravings of a hip hop head from the hood hustling for change... Of himself.

You all know me and are aware that I am unable to remain silent. At times to be silent is to lie. For silence can be interpreted as acquiescence.
—Miguel de Unamuno



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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Oh Snap!

That's right dammit.

I blogged.

Haven't had the motivation in the past week and some change. Sometimes silence is golden.

Don't worry, everything still works.

Hell, my phone broke and I just decided to get it fixed. I'm blogging using the store display laptop. The speed is fine, I night just buy this broadband card.

I'm out for now.

I miss you guys


Later gator.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

doo the Humpty Hump, doo the Humpty Hump

So...

It's the middle of the week and I'm bored out of my mind. I signed on to roll out with a new transport company which means this little dance I do at my current, but short lived gig is just that. A dance. More like me getting 30 seconds on Soul Train as I boogie oogie oogie on down the line hamming it up doing that shoulder thing, thus maximizing my camera time. Trying to get thru the day knowing that I won't be there in a few short weeks makes a brother want to hit that snooze button.

Okay, wait. I have no snooze button.

I'm one of those cats that just gets up and it happens to be the right time to do so. Some nights I'm on the phone until... It's time to get up. Other times I'm watching this extensive collection of DVDs I've collected the last time I was roaming the US via its interstate system. I'm loving my Nigerian titles. African novellas are the ish!

How does one stay focused on working for the man when in mere days they'll be working for themselves? The new gig with the transportation people is a independent contractor job. I visualized, made my actions positive towards it and claimed it with my spirit, then I made a phone call... Oh snap, in March I start paying myself. It's just like what the big O said... Write your own checks, son! Pay yourself, kid!

Wait, that was Funkmaster Flex.

I'm slippin.

Hey, guess what? It's not hard anymore to just turn off the TV and get an hour or two of writing in for the book. It ain't hard (now that I have some new help) to put that chorus in my head onto an unfinished track. Lot's of emailing though fer sure, but I seem to have the concept down with this new cat that's beatmaking for me. He's downstate and we barely talk to each other offline. I tell him something, leave it on his voicemail or he'll email me a track and I find something stupid to jot down and we go from there. I wonder why that ish didn't work in the past.

I'm looking to get into a condo here in the Chicago area that I can sublet on short notice. Thank the lord for craigs.list (to find folks to sublet to) and thank the lord for redevelopment in my old neighborhood. Two bedrooms and a possible two baths wrapped up somewhere around 2500 square feet is a reality for my stank ass. It took all of this time, a few break-ups and me wandering away from Chicago to have finally found some semblance of home (upon lender preapproval).

I wanna teach, so there are classes that I gotta take right here in the Chi, so I can't leave just yet. There are also so many ends (I had to take away the loose moniker) that need tying here that I might as well base myself out of here. Plus that opportunity with the transport folks allows me to be here often (weekends) and have control of my schedule. And the pay is tight too. I just hope I don't get distracted away from what I gotta do now that I was able to put the clamps down on the job situation. A single man with no kids and his nights and weekends free with some loose change in his pocket can cause a lot of trouble.

I just wanna finish my book.
And take these classes that I can finally afford.
And get this CD on dem skreets.

Now, I gotta focus and get back to getting up early enough to get to work. For now. I totally blew Monday off and called in and was late both Tuesday and today. On purpose. I need two more paychecks from their asses, so I better hem it up.

Like a 0ne inch cuff on a pleated pant leg.

"Ain't nothing like a fresh pair of baggies"
- Morris Day

Monday, February 05, 2007

Monday Night Rah

Damn...

It's almost been a week. I know, I know. I've been a little incognegro in the past week. Just adjusting and thangs. New job, a lot of travel and adjusting to my living arrangement. It is supposed to be 35 degrees below zero here, and it feels of it. From zooming from the spot to a favorite cafe I can't get my feet to get warm enough. All conditions gear my ass!

I got a chance to hang out with my brother and catch the big game yesterday. We had... Wait, I had fun. My brother was five the last time the home team made it this far, so he was hellbent on rooting for the home team. I embarrassingly admitted to being in high school and that made my brother freak a little and break the tension of him and others a little too into a simple football game. Yes, dude counted on his fingers the years that I've been alive and laughed. I laughed too. I'm just not sure if I was laughing with him.

We went to this uber bar out in the burbs and the Chicago thing was in overdrive. For the last two weeks I watched damn near every reporter from each TV station here report about absolutely nothing from Miami just because the home team made it. Nothing was said about game planning, strategies for winning nor was any practice footage shown. It seems everyone drank the Bears championship kool aid and never considered that a game had to be played for the Bears to actually win.

And then the game was played.
And they lost.

Next question.

But other than that, I got plans to get back on the road and see the east coast in the next few weeks. Just signed up with another transport company. I'm tired of sitting on my ass and watching the world when I can come to it. The new job totally sucks in a I have to go to work and deal with these assholes and not sit around and chill in my truck sort of way, but other than that...

I'm happy.

My best friend just made it convenient for me to want to stay in Chicago. Friends need friends and she needs me, so I ain't going too far with the new driving job. I might just go regional, stack my paper for the Africa trip and get in 2 huge investments of classes that'll help me be able to teach. The book of poetry is writing itself and the music stuff is cool right now.

I'm chilling, you?